For so long I dreamt of what being a business owner looked like, I just didn’t know how I would achieve such a feat. What I did know was that I would own a business and that it would be creative. In today’s society that was a bit of an open-ended goal but I knew I’d find something that fell into the category. Thus photography caught my fancy. Not understanding the reality of the industry I decided to push my way into, I fought for this creative career I soon began to love. Little by little I discovered that I needed to have a love for the “business,” not necessarily the “creative” and although that’s not how I’m wired, it started to make sense to me. God’s timing is always perfect timing, it’s been a five year journey of learning, messing up, and finally understanding what it takes to do this, and here I am today as a full-time photographer.
Going full-time has been exciting, amazing, scary, and every other emotion you might imagine accompanies quitting your day-job. It’s been just over 2 months since going full-time and I’m still not sure I’ve fully embraced that I have the power to create my own schedule for the rest of my life. I’ll equate it to the same feeling you get once Summer break starts; all the excitement of pool parties, days on the lake, and family vacations seems in reach yet the fear you should be studying for a test or writing a paper looms over your head. It doesn’t quite sink in until you’re a month into Summer and you realize those tests and papers you worried about were nothing more than your mind playing tricks, and in reality you have the full Summer ahead of you to enjoy. Longest metaphor ever. But you get it, right?
My Summer never ends, and that’s a thrilling truth.
It’s funny though how easy it is to have zero communication with mankind, and barricade in my corner workspace all day every day. I’ve since discovered the beauty that is coffee shop wifi and midweek lunch dates with likeminded entrepreneurs (spelled that right on try one). I’m currently sat in one of my favorite local coffee shops listening to the buzz of caffeinated hipsters and the high-pitched squeal of a steam wand. It’s 104 degrees outside though, so whose drinking hot lattes? I digress. It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it.
In all seriousness, the reality of being a full-time business owner is a far cry from lattes and lunch, but it’s everything I’ve wanted it to be and more. There’s a constant evolving list of emails, hours spent editing, website modifications and maintenance, time spent educating myself on the newest trends, and the list continues. I feel overly blessed to have found this career that fulfills my creative heart and challenges me daily to become a better person and business owner. My hope is that my friends and clients see this excitement lived out in my life because I feel like such a happier “me” now that I’m putting my all into what I was made to do!
